Driver in deadly school bus crash out of jail on bond

Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office spokesman J. Matt Lea says 25-year-old Johnthony Walker has been released to the county community corrections program, which offers an alternative to incarceration.

Walker had been in jail in isolation facing 34 charges, including six counts of vehicular homicide. Authorities say Walker was speeding in November 2016 when he wrecked the bus on a curvy Chattanooga road while carrying 37 children.

Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Don Poole lowered Walker’s bond from more than $100,000 to $50,000. Walker must use GPS monitoring and can’t drive motor vehicles pending trial, which is set to begin Feb. 27.